The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-12-23
TIE CHRISTMAS ANGEL..

Il faint rcproachiul voice, "vou never
! told uac about Christmas; but mamma
/ aId, ami read 70 me about the Child in
the manager, and ] know lnow-Os
papa, 1t IS al darll-will it ever be
| Christmas morning"
| The stroag man bowed his head over.
( the small, cold hand hc held i'm his aui
! inc not tears icil upon IL. The ctild moved
raNtIcSsiy and IN pain on his pillows
100 fInr lrom one kind face TO the othcy
AMI again listening TO the faint chimes of
The bells, ~ they ruug out now far, now
near, like voices in the skv The kinE
Old doctor gave him 4 spoonful OF the
! cordial that mOi-tcnel the fcycrish
lips. When the last paroxvsm Of dead
" PIn had passed, the child turned his
| nrlSht-too brght-eycs towar ls his
iather, but their pupils were 50 dilatca
/ Ae rou.d not see bIm plainly.
iap1 are the bells calling me? They
S'om to say Come, Charlie Is it that.
AM what 10 they mean?
Ch"r.ie, sud the grave old doctor.
pcn iinE with kind ami gracious face
over the DYING boy, You know there WAS
once Cnld bora in mane.ron Christ
mas rye: lie came TO tell us OF Il
beautiful home where Won will NOT Lay,.
any pain or bc sick or : prrv anv NOR.
iIe loves Httlc children, and they ar.
, M, 'i'.' II YOU 90 10 sleep tonight ana
Mahch IN that beautiful home where La
Is, 1t VIII only be a little while before
mamma AMI papa viii b. thcr. with Won.
just SAY your little good night PRAYER.
my '!oy, and 70 10 sleep, and YOU VIII
hhI IL morning when you awake"
"thTiStmas morning asked tn, rbi]l
lee Iy. Il wonder what santa Claus
VII bring papa -ii-I-am gone-.siyo
all my presents-to some poor child
n-,I- manager because - he won't
have any -
Yes lear boy" and then father AMI
mother bent over him for ha was smiliu,
brightly. What he saw they could moi
see what he heard they couIl not hear
hI5 eyes wcr2 fixed the breath Hut-
tered on his lips
"oh, hc said, softly with smile Of
infinite peace, they diI want mc-its
The bells voices come Charlie. come
OHarI'e anu the children too they're
coming oh papa a-mamma-
ITS Christmas morning.
Tho miserable shadow stole alone +I,..
streets III the very echo of the bells rb9r
FunG out Peace on earth, good VIII L.,
men, and IN its arm II carried another
SIt,.oWr = gaunt spectre Oi want and woe.
lhcSe Two mad done no wrong vet
lherc was not hand uplifted 10 holm
them. The mother heart un,Ior ~
rags OF poverty had failed at last auI
gwen up the great struggle for dailv
brcal-sIckness hal done its worst lilo
weddln" ring had gone from her finger
th2t her child might have medIrincs-
but he had wasted away bcpe,fI b.r
anxious eyes day by day, hour bv hour.
and that was but 4 waNerl emIIar, ~
humanity she held IN her thin arms
W here she was going in her mad Uirlr
she l;t n definite !dca: but II s.,.rIri
as II the Christmas bells had driven hcr
hlau' anu she had crept out OF her
wretched garrett her brain on tir. with
Il desperate longing to get somewhere
beyond II all She had passed a church
where the children were siurinv j.,
Wine robes. and 4 Christmas trno eboT
a hundred lights and glistcncd with the
beauty OF hundred surprises Tor chill
dren who had enough and to spare-bpr
boy had nothing and then the swee,
glad voices, oI the little children in the
white robes rung out soft and clear:
"Glad tidinss OF great joy bring.
To You and all mankind
Not to us, baby said voice outside
1t only means people who have homes
and money. Glad tidings are not for
such as rs and she went on. not know
ing or caring where, and then th.. won
derful instinct of self preservation be.
came strong again, and she resolved 10
10 what she had never done before
beg.
50 she waited until the good minister
came out, well wrapped up and warm
from the comfortable glow ol the Chr At
mas carols, and the giving AMI receiving
OF Christmas presents, and rs he stcpped
into the streets humming in = soft
tone
r"Glad tidinE- Of great JOY bring"
She stepped before him like the dark
sha low sine was, and asked humblv fof
an aims to keep her and her child 'froun
starving, and he who had talked 50 to
his !. "ple about the Christ Of Bcthache
SAID In ! sharp cold voice, There are
charitable homes fOr the descrvin,, p0,-
cannot encourage professional beg.
gars, and waved her aside with hls
hand.
Then she sat for long time on tho
front steps OF a splendid house listening
to the bells and idly thinking that thev
said p" 10 the river "To the river" ant
then the door opened and she hid in the.
ratings, as shadows DO, as two men came
out. One was barehcadcd and looked
up 10 the stars
oh" he said in 4 voice of terrible
grief, 1t cannot be that Charlie is dead.
1t cannot b. -
NO." said the other, in a calm. grave
tone, Charlie lives; after few tO-mOr-.
rows you Will see him"
And 80 one went away, and the other.
with Il great sob, went in and shut the
door.
men the shadow aros, and went soft
wrapped in 4 thin shawl, on the door-.ill.
and Tor moment .ooSeI up to the ssy
that SWAN and was blurred AMI down 10
the earth that was reeling and with one
swift sudden deal rang the silver-handIsd
bell and was gone.
Years have coPc and gone since then.
ami again the Christmas chimes are RING.
lng, and an excited boy choirstcr with
fair curl5 and eyes OF heaven ) own buo.
has come home and IL telling all atom
the singing and Christmas trees. and i,
says rs his mother takes OF his wraps.
Il m TO sing solo tomorrow. the min.
ister said 81, and papa, my skates were
IN the tree and Just fitted a boy who
hadn any, and gave brother Charles
cap to jim, the coal boy, and he said
'IhanEce sir, and all the children iron,
the 'sylum are coming up Tomorrow L.
Charlie feast, and won't it make them
happy to get so many nice things from
Santa Clans and mammals going 10 tell
them stories about Christmas.
And this was the boy the shadow had
carried half-dead with cold ana hunger
in her arms and lett at the rich mans
door with a prayer from the heart OF a
dying mother, and the child had blessed
( them from that hour when he came like
/ Charles angel and pleaded for entrance
to their hearts and they had accepted
him at last in memory OF their boy who
h,1